Hopefully the premiere of Flames hockey in 2015 isn’t part and parcel of what we can all expect for the calendar year, as the club that dropped a 2-1 game to the New York Islanders had little in common with the club that finished the 213-14 season, or started the 2014-15 season.
The team didn’t win the little battles.
They weren’t sharp in moving the puck.
They were loose in their coverage in their own zone.
They fumbled the puck offensively when they did generate chances.
The Flow
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The Islanders essentially won the game in the first 10 minutes of the first period. They had the puck the entire time, out shot the Flames 7-0 and finally scored on a two minute two man advantage when Matt Stajan put his hand on the puck in the face off circle. The game winner came in the third, but the Flames never really felt dangerous after the slow start. Shots ended tighter; 9-7 Islanders by the end of the period.
The second period was a better period for Calgary in what they gave up and puck control, but the shots were not indicative of chances (9-6) Calgary. Any Flames push resulted in over passing, or shooting into legs, or forcing the puck into areas where teammates couldn’t retrieve.
Calgary’s best period was their third, in that they finally got the puck to the paint and forced Halak to make some difficult saves. The Islanders went up 2-0 when John Tavares scored his second of the night, and eventual game winner. An icing call with just under 4 minutes to play created an opportunity for Hartley so he pulled Hiller to get on the Islanders. The move succeeded when Gaudreau pulled in a rebound and fired home his 13th of the season to make it close. The Flames pulled their goaltender again with 2 minutes to play but never managed to get that blue chip chance and score their 9th comeback of the season.
Three Stars
1.John Tavares:Such a great hockey player. Scores a goal in the first, adds one in the third and is the Islanders difference maker as expected.
2.Jaroslav Halak: Wasn’t tested with great chances through 40 minutes, but kept the door shut so the Islanders could continue to list their way through a road victory. Made some great saves in the third.
3.Johnny Gaudreau: The best of a pretty tame crew tonight, at least Johnny got things buzzing when he carried the puck. Scored the team’s only goal.
Big Save
Two big ones in the third to choose from. First Hiller shuts the pads on a John Tavares breakaway when the game was still 1-0 Islanders, but later in the period at that same score Halak stones Sean Monahan in his danger zone to keep the Islanders out front. Both game changers.
The Goat
Have to go with Matt Stajan for putting his hand on the puck. There are lines in a game that separate a great interference without a call and a penalty, but there is no such line when it comes to putting your hand on the puck on a face off. It will be called any time. It’s up there with holding a stick in bonehead moves in a hockey game.
Mr. Clutch
He was my goat last game in a win, so now he’s my clutch in a 2-1 loss as he kept the Flames in the game despite the team showing up with no mojo. Couldn’t be faulted at all on the Islanders tic tac toe first period goal.
Odds and Ends
Great to see Morgan Klimchuk dealt to a contender in the WHL, a good hard playoff push will help quell some of the disappointment of being left off the World Junior roster. Klimchuk has been hurt by injury woes the past two seasons, so a long playoff season will do wonders for setting him up for Flames camp this summer and fall … Markus Granlund was just 8% in the face off circle in what I would expect would be his last game up with the Flames for now. He lost every face off to the four Islander centers, but managed to beat winger Nielsen once. His line on the call up will read 29 games played, 5 goals, 8 assists and 13 points with a +/- rating of zero. Good but not too good to send back down for more development. … I thought a single play by Joe Colborne was an excellent representation of the Flames night as a whole. In the first period he gains control of the puck in the right offensive corner, beats a guy on the boards to take the puck to the high slot, loses his handle when looking up and then has to retrieve it as it coasts towards the boards by the blueline. When he gets control he runs into two sets of Islander legs and the puck comes out. Calgary in a nutshell on January 2nd. … Will be interesting to see where Mikael Backlund is inserted into the lineup assuming he returns on Wednesday. If they win tonight I would guess he’d see time in Granlund’s spot on the third line with Bouma and Byron (or Raymond). But with the loss and lack of flow tonight I wouldn’t be surprised if they break up one of the two top lines and move Jooris down to the third line. …. If Stajan didn’t have the obvious brain cramp, my goat would have been Curtis Glencross. His stats line looks fine but he was a turn over machine in the offensive zone personally killing a half dozen opportunities for the Flames to generate offense. My persona favourite was when he passed the puck back to the point at waist height in the second period relieving pressure on the Islanders.
Next Up
A strange 5 day break in the middle of a 6 game homestand has the Flames cooling their heels until Wednesday when the Red Wings come a calling, game time 7:30pm Sportsnet.
Lines:
Curtis Glencross – Sean Monahan – Joe Colborne
Johnny Gaudreau – Josh Jooris – Jiri Hudler
Paul Byron – Markus Granlund – Lance Bouma
Brandon Bollig – Matt Stajan – David Jones
Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie
Kris Russell – Dennis Wideman
Deryk Engellend – Raphi Diaz
Jonas Hiller
